“Be Passionate!”, An Interview With Aquarist, Science Communicator, & Educator, Greg Eisen
- ThePersaudCatalog
- Apr 6
- 12 min read
Recently, our head writer was immensely grateful to sit down with Greg Eisen for an interview discussing his career.
Greg Eisen is an Aquarium Director & science communicator best known for his work at the Cabrillo High School Aquarium, located in Lompoc, California. The Aquarium is unique, run entirely out of Cabrillo High School, and has a volunteer staff of 200 dedicated and passionate high schoolers.
In today’s interview, we sit down with Greg to discuss this beautiful facility, the founding of the aquarium, & his passion for marine life, in a comprehensive 16-question-long interview. Before delving into today's article, please note everything said has been edited for clarity, & that the opinions of our interviewee do not necessarily reflect the opinions & values of our organization. With that being said, let us delve into the contents of the interview!
The Contents Of The Interview:
1. What sparked your passion for marine life & aquariums?
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in & around the ocean. I loved the TV series “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau”, & it was one of my favorites as a child. My interest in aquariums truly began when I was in University, at California Polytechnic University of San Luis Obispo, when I began keeping my first aquarium.
My first aquarium wasn’t a marine one interestingly, it was freshwater, & primarily composed of African cichlids. I’m very passionate about my hobbies, & I got into it. I immensely enjoyed watching them, getting them to breed, & learning more about them! Additionally, at the time, this was around the time that I began visiting public aquariums, such as the Seattle Aquarium & Monterey Bay Aquarium. Those were the first two aquariums that truly helped me fall in love with the subject.
All of the tanks that I have currently are occupational & located at the school, I don’t have any at my home. I spend quite a lot of time at school, & I don’t wish to come home & have more organisms to take care of. (Which is perfectly reasonable!)
2. Do you have a specific place, person, location, or experience that assisted in the sparking of your passion?
In 1992, I was hired as the Marine Biology Teacher for Cabrillo High School, in Lompoc Unified School District. I didn’t know it before taking the job, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they already had a small aquarium club! At the time, it was a very small group of students, & a few tanks in a classroom.
Their passion, along with mentorship from Dave Long, the founder of the aquarium, is undoubtedly what sparked my interest. It is such a privilege to work at this wonderful school.
3. What is your favorite marine animal generally, & favorite animal to have in an aquarium?
I have been asked this question quite a lot, however, it is near-impossible for me to choose only one favorite animal. In terms of invertebrates, one of my favorites is the Octopus. It is an anomaly in terms of being so short-lived, yet so clever. I love how each octopus has its unique personality. Sometimes you’ll get two of the same species, where one is very antisocial & shy, & refuses to come out. Then you’ll have another one, that is extremely gregarious, & wants to touch you, & is constantly curious about new things. They are very popular with our visitors, as well as our student caretakers.
In terms of favorite vertebrate animals, I have so many favorites! I enjoy a multitude of shark species, I’ve swam with Leopard Sharks during both day & night. They are very active in the evenings, & it feels almost surreal when you are night swimming with them. The majority of shark species are not dangerous, however, during our night swim, they were in the midst of a feeding frenzy. I wasn’t worried, as we were in relatively shallow water with good lighting, however, it was still so surreal.
4. As a science & marine biology teacher, what inspired you to become a science communicator?
You know, I did not know what I wanted to do immediately out of high school, so I went to community college. I grew up in a little seaside town called El Segundo, & spent much time by the beach. I learned how to surf there, & spent a tremendous amount of time in the water.
I went to El Camino Community College in Torrance, California, because I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted in a career. So, I was taking general education classes. I had a biology professor whom I really cherished, and who inspired me. I did not know that I enjoyed science that much, it was the teacher that made it so fun! At that time, I thought “You know what? I’m going to go to Cal Poly to study science, & I want to ultimately become a science teacher”, which is precisely what I did.
When I got to Cabrillo High School, I was truly inspired by the staff, especially the coaches, on many levels. When I first arrived I was coaching soccer, as I love sports, & working with youth of course. Dave Long, the founder of the aquarium, roped me in right away “Hey you’re the marine science teacher, come help me at the Cabrillo High School Aquarium!”. I love learning from mentors, & truly I feel that you can learn from anyone. I learn from my students all of the time.
Questions About His Career At The Cabrillo Aquarium & The Aquarium Itself:
5. Do you mind giving a summary of the institutions that you have worked with throughout your career?
Yes; it’s very brief! I started at Cabrillo High School in 1992 & that was my first career. I’ve taken other jobs while working my way through university, however, I wouldn’t call those a part of my career.
Once I got there, I fell in love with the school, the community, & my beautiful wife, & got married 2 years after I arrived. We’ve enjoyed being a part of this community. My wife & I were both coaches when we met, & she became the first Aquarium Outreach Coordinator for the aquarium. She assisted in organizing tours, & assisting in mobile exhibits for schools that could not visit us.
6. What exactly is your role at the Cabrillo High School Aquarium, & Cabrillo High School?
My roles are quite extensive as a director. I oversee all aspects of running the aquarium, but I’m very thankful to have two other staff members who I work very closely with who help me greatly. The three of us jointly operate the aquarium, along with our industrious staff of 200 students. Each year, we interview & choose next year’s student curators, who function as the leadership team of the aquarium.
Apart from this, each of us is also a full-time Science Teacher. It is a heavy workload, but it’s a labor of love. One of us three is at the aquarium 365 days per year; you can't take a day off with live animals in the mix.
7. How many exhibits does the aquarium have, what is the biodiversity at the aquarium, & what regions are represented in this Aquarium?
We currently have about 24 exhibits, with certain exhibits having sub-exhibits within them. For example, we have these wet laboratories that have multiple tanks & within each tank, you can have multiple micro-habitats. We developed these small laboratories based on a model from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, however they are primarily used for experiments.
Additionally, we have a touch-tank exhibit, which is one of the most pristine touch tanks that I have seen at any public aquarium, with cascading pools, & each pool has a different assemblage of animals. Although I count it as one exhibit, it technically has 5 individual tanks.
As for biodiversity, we primarily have cold-water coastal species, such as animals native to the Kelp Forest. Due to our aquarium being very close to California's Coastline, we mainly have California native species.
In addition to this, we have a freshwater exhibit, as well as a rainforest exhibit, which is primarily composed of South American critters. We took inspiration for this exhibit from this gorgeous mural that a local artist created of a South American ecosystem, & we wished to expand our aquarium to have accuracy with our art.
We are also expanding to create a new tropical gallery, with tropical fish species. At one point we had a tropical tank in the middle of all of our cold water tanks, & it did not make sense visually. To combat this, we started a new room, which I am calling the Tropical Fish Gallery, using 1 of our old tanks, & 6 state-of-the-art tanks that were graciously donated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to us from their now-closed Tentacles Exhibit. It's going to be incredible when it is finished, & we are hoping to have it up and running by the Fall or Winter of 2025.
8. What is the story of the aquarium's founding, & can you describe what it took to build the aquarium from a few tanks to the 6,000-square-foot wonder that it is today?
I'd love to tell you that story, it's such a beautiful one. Dave Long, the founder of the aquarium, was a long-time teacher at the high school as well as a coach. He had a passion for the ocean & the sea, & loved it. He was an avid Scuba Diver, & the underwater was his second home.
It all started with a question, as most things do. "Why can't we have in the academic sphere something similar to the gymnasium where the public comes in & becomes excited about what students are learning?", & "Why can't we use the sea as a catalyst for this?". After this vision, he was determined to make this happen, & in 1986, he founded the aquarium as a Marine Biology Club. So many people told him that this wouldn't work, & to this day people don't believe that the aquarium is as grand as it truly is. "You're a public school & you have this?", yes, we most certainly do, because someone had a vision.
He asked for help from his students & fellow teachers, & if he was shot down he would simply move on to the next person. He never let money be the issue, & he was extremely passionate. That is something that I would advise to everyone, be passionate! It started in a small classroom, however, he kept making partnerships with people at the high school & in the community, which is truly the story of our aquarium. It is a tale of partnerships, which fits nicely into our motto of "A Partnership With The Sea".
He convinced enough people to make this a reality, including the California Legislature, which assisted in the final needed funding to build the new aquarium structure in 2000, about 25 years ago now. Boy time does fly!
When people walk into the aquarium now, the first comment they make typically isn't about the Aquarium's Grandeur. It's usually along the lines of "I had no idea that High School Students could be this articulate, or such good ambassadors for the sea".
We have our students involved in all aspects of the aquarium, including the Grant Presentations. It's a great experience for the students, many of the students are more articulate than I am quite honestly.
9. What exactly is your adopt-a-tank, & adopt-an-animal program? What do you offer through that program to interested donors?
This was a wonderful student idea! A student several years ago created this new, & innovative way that individuals, families, & businesses can contribute to the aquarium. The program gives people a way to contribute to the maintenance of an individual exhibit or animal group, & provides them with a way to truly support our aquarium. We have monthly open house events where the community at large comes in, & we shall set tables up where people can learn about this program.
We are immensely grateful to each of our donors, & it creates a special relationship between our community & our aquarium.
10. What volunteer opportunities do you offer to students at your aquarium?
We offer a multitude of Volunteer Opportunities to our students that are not only focused on marine science. Many students want to come in & be generalists in the aquarium which is all right, however, we also offer many opportunities for our students to specialize, primarily for our curator program. These students specialize in anything, from sharks to jellyfish. We have one of the most pristine Jellyfish exhibits from Monterey to Long Beach. Our curator program is our student leaders at the aquarium, who are handpicked by our staff advisors. Each student interested in obtaining a curator-ship must apply, be interviewed, & then be selected for the next school year.
In addition to the aquarium itself, we have a gift shop, which is staffed by a student manager as well as student workers. We also have a newsletter, staffed by student writers & a student editor. We have a specialist nutrition team as well, which solely focuses on the feeding & diets of our creatures here at the aquarium; which never ends!
11. Did you receive any training before running the aquarium, or during your directing of the aquarium, if so, may I ask what the training was?
Without a doubt, the majority of the training that I have gotten has been on-the-job training; & that is what makes being in the aquarium so fun! It never gets old, we're continually learning.
There has been some specialist training in the form of our visiting public aquariums we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium in March 2025. We get special behind-the-scenes tours & pick the brains of the aquarists there, as well as enjoying the exhibits. Their aquarists taught us how to successfully stimulate our Moon Jellyfish to strobilate from their polyp form to their medusae form! Monterey Bay has some of the most well-known, amazing, & knowledgeable jellyfish aquarists in the world.
Recently, we became a certified Career Technical Education Program from Lompoc School District, which the aquarium was a perfect fit for! To receive this certification, we did receive specific training, which has helped us to raise the bar. We're always looking to see "How can we improve?". When you have that mindset, you actively look for ways to learn. We truly believe that you're either learning & improving, or slanting & declining. You can't only maintain the status quo.
12. What is the most interesting experience that you have had at the aquarium with a marine animal, or what are your top experiences?
Oh my, there are so many I could share! Interesting experiences include; having an evening open house event & all of the sea stars in our touch tanks started spawning simultaneously; having an elementary school group coming through while the sharks begin breeding right there in front of everyone; & having thousands of moon jellyfish begin strobilating on Christmas Day!
13. What is your proudest moment or triumph of running the aquarium?
Quite frankly, my proudest moments are when the students perform exceptionally. When the students rise & hit the ball out of the park. Recently, two of our students gave this fantastic presentation to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, & they did such an amazing job. We won the grant, & were awarded the 90,000$ for our tropical fish gallery. As a teacher, these are the moments I am the most proud of.
Once in a while though, you have to stop, take a deep breath, look around, & appreciate this for all that it is. We have a tremendous team and a beautiful mission, & we're serving others, which I feel is a secret ingredient in building an organization. It's truly powerful work that keeps us coming back.
14. You have likely experienced just as many failures & setbacks as you have triumphed, what is the largest hurdle that you have faced in running the aquarium?
Challenges are every day. When failures happen, we try to use them as opportunities to learn. I'd say that we do a fantastic job at the aquarium with our critters, however, one of the largest hurdles is simply the time-intensive nature of it all. It takes an extreme amount of time & energy. When the tough times happen, we will share it with the students, & sometimes that means admitting "Hey, I screwed up!". Mistakes do happen, & you've got to own them! I don't attempt to hide my failures from the students, as they can learn from my mistakes just as much as they can learn from their own.
15. Do you have any advice for new aquarists, science teachers, science communicators, or anyone looking to enter the marine science field?
Be passionate! No matter what you are doing, be passionate about it, & think big. Dream big, & go big. A lot of times we can be small in our thinking, & why not shoot for the stars?
Also, have good mentors if you are starting. There is someone out there doing what you are doing successfully, & success leaves clues. We all need mentors, including yours truly! I wish to keep learning, & keep growing.
Finally, you never arrive. Once you accomplish one goal or one dream, celebrate it, that is important, however, you have to think of the next steps, & the journey never ends.
16. Do you have any final words about the aquarium, your career, or science communication?
If you haven't had a chance & you're ever in Southern California, please come check out the work that our students are doing over at the Cabrillo High School Aquarium!
Directories / Credits:
Strategic Partnerships:
Reel Guppy Outdoors
SharkedSkooler
Marine Enthusiasts Podcast
StemScribe
Cash Daniels
Our Loyal Patrons:
P. R. Ochoa
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